1. Monday, June 29, 2009
THE DAILY RECORD
WESTERN NEW YORK’S SOURCE FOR LAW, REAL ESTATE, FINANCE AND GENERAL INTELLIGENCE SINCE 1908
Five things lawyers should know
about social media
“[S]ocial media is a shift in how people discover, read and share engine optimization) of large, established sites.
news, information and content. It’s a fusion of sociology and tech- Facebook is another site to consider. It allows lawyers to re-
nology, transforming monologues (one to many) into dialogues connect with people they’ve lost touch with, opening up an
(many to many) and is the democratization of information, trans- entire network of potential client and referrers.
forming people from content readers into publishers. Social media If a lawyer enjoys writing and is passionate about a particu-
has become extremely popular because it allows people to lar area of the law, blogging is the perfect way to
connect in the online world to form relationships for per- showcase the lawyer’s expertise and writing skills,
sonal, political and business use. Businesses also refer to while simultaneously increasing SEO (due to the
social media as user-generated content (UGC) or con- unique characteristics of blogs) and humanizing the
sumer-generated media (CGM).” attorney.
— WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter is ideal for lawyers seeking to expand their
national network, increase their exposure and con-
Online interaction is now commonplace. nect with influential people in all major industries.
Networking sites, including Facebook, LinkedIn Lawyers don’t have to participate in every form of
and Twitter, are becoming mainstream. Opportunities online interaction, but one way or another, partici-
for attorneys to connect and interact with potential pate and ensure the chosen forums promote the firm’s
clients are endless. overall goals.
Before jumping on the “social media” bandwagon,
however, there are a few important things about By NICOLE ‘Social media’ is a misnomer
social media that lawyers must comprehend. The fail- BLACK Some lawyers discount the potential of “social
ure to do so will result in unsuccessful and disap- Daily Record media” due to the incorrect assumption that it’s got
pointing forays into the online marketplace. Columnist nothing to do with business and is all about socializ-
ing. This is a serious mistake.
Social media is useless without goals All online interactions, whether they are with other lawyers,
Come up with a plan, then interact online. old friends, or people you’ve just met and with whom you share
Is your goal to appear higher in search engine results, show- a similar interest have the potential to benefit your career.
case a particular area of expertise, or interact with other attor- Social and professional networking necessarily overlap. A
neys in the same practice area? Would you like to target local person’s interests are not limited to their profession unless, of
or national clientele? course, the person is an unbelievably one dimensional and
The answers to those questions necessarily affect your over- boring human being.
all social media strategy. People are more than their careers. Lawyers are more than
Learn about social media. Figure out how it works and how their law firms. Which brings me to my next point:
it can work for you. Then, implement a social media strategy
that promotes your goals. Be patient. Results don’t occur People want to hire other people, not businesses
overnight. While it is important to have a static website for your busi-
ness, it is equally important for lawyers to cultivate a
Different social media sites serve different purposes
uniquely individual online presence as well.
An entire firm does not need to actively participate in social
The best way to do this it to take off your “lawyer hat”. Talk to
media, but a few lawyers should be familiar with emerging
people, not at them. Interact, don’t advertise. And, most impor-
Web 2.0 technologies and the ways in which those technolo-
tantly, share a little bit about yourself and your interests.
gies can help and harm a firm’s bottom line.
At the very least, all members of a firm should have online It is the overlap between the social and the professional
profiles which include their areas of practice posted at that makes a lawyer more likeable, more approachable and
LinkedIn, Justia and Avvo. It’s free to create profiles at those more human.
sites, and doing so allows you to piggyback on the SEO (search Continued ...
Reprinted with permission of The Daily Record ©2009

2. Monday, June 29, 2009
THE DAILY RECORD
WESTERN NEW YORK’S SOURCE FOR LAW, REAL ESTATE, FINANCE AND GENERAL INTELLIGENCE SINCE 1908
Continued ... potential clients and referral sources.
Be patient, persistent and positive. Use social media wisely
People want to pick up the phone and call a specific person
and narrowly tailor your online activities toward the pursuit of
— not an intimidating, faceless entity — when they have a
problem. Large businesses hire law firms; people hire other specific goals.
people. Take my advice and you will see results. I guarantee it.
Lawyers cannot afford to be left out of the loop Nicole Black is of counsel to Fiandach and Fiandach and is
Attorneys who successfully leverage social media tools to the founder of lawtechTalk.com, which offers legal technology
communicate, collaborate and network have a distinct advan- consulting services and publishes four legal blogs, one of which
tage over those who don’t. is Practicing lawin the 21st Century (http://21stcentury
Stand out from the crowd. Use online resources to your law.wordpress.com); she may be reached at nblack@nicole-
advantage. Take advantage of the opportunity to interact with blackesq.com.
Reprinted with permission of The Daily Record ©2009